3 Simple Ways to Get Children to Pick Up Loose Parts

If I were completely honest, I’d tell you I nearly gave up on loose parts because of the mess in my classroom at the end of the day.

I remember seeing all of those beautiful photos of loose parts in action. I loved the creativity, exploration, and inventiveness the children were engaged in.

The first day I introduced loose parts in my block center – the children poured every last one on the carpet. Every. Last. One. Piles of loose parts lay on the floor while children treated them with utter disrespect. Oh my.

. . . It was chaos. I had failed to prepare my students.

Why Beginning Small and Limiting Quantity is the Fastest Way to Teach Students

This was my first mistake. I put out baskets filled to the brim with loose parts. Hundreds of corks, rocks, seashells, and other bits and pieces. It was waaayyyy too much.

Tip: Begin with one center. Pick five loose parts to introduce in that center. Put out just 10 of each of those loose parts. No more.

This will help children manage clean-up time and find the “home” of each new loose part. It can be helpful to attach a photo of the loose part to the basket or container. I always call the container the loose part’s home. This helps to establish the location where to return a loose part.

Example of introducing the loose part’s container: “All the corks live here. This is the corks home.”

How Modeling the Use of Loose Parts Helps Children Engage

I assumed the children would immediately begin using the loose parts in their constructions. I did not anticipate the dumping and wild play. Me oh my.

Note: It is important to remember that dumping can also be a developmental stage. Limiting the number of loose parts can help children as they explore loose parts in the dump and carry stage. They aren’t trying to complicate things for us, but they are showing us their sensory needs.

Here’s the thing. Children may not naturally know what to do with loose parts. Think about it. So many toys have predetermined uses. Traditional materials often have a clear pathway to play. If your students are disrespectful with loose parts – there is a good chance they do not know what to do. Don’t assume they do!

Tip: Set up an invitation. Demonstrate loose parts in action.

I love setting up a demonstration with loose parts and engaging in conversations around it with my students. Also this is a good time to make sure you have a variety of big and small loose parts.

Example of discussing invitation: (Class is sitting around block provocation.)

I am wondering what this could be . .

What do you see?

What was used to build it?

Do you have ideas for it?

Game: An Alternative Approach to Help Students Pick Up and Sort Loose Parts

On that fateful first day of loose parts, I began singing my normal clean-up song. The children quickly grew tired of picking up the loose parts and began to put them in whatever basket they could find. Every basket was filled with a mixture of loose parts. Seriously. Could I blame them?

Tip: Use games and special songs to help children pick up and sort the loose parts.

Example: This is a great song to introduce where to put away specific loose parts

I have been using loose parts for sometime In fact for some 5 years and yes it can be a mess sometimes but I started with little things like corks and bobbins, glass beads then added a few more each month. I use the motto
less is more…………so I rotate because we do not have the space we now have larger pieces to use outside and the exploration going on if phenomenal…….I love it

Thank you … I do sing EVERYTHING and anything and it works well for me. I sing the instruction twice and add the reason for most things this was very good to read and helped me think about what I do. And remind me why I LOVE your emails.

For a number of years I taught Kindergarten in a private school. When ever I made changes to the classroom the children and I would talk about the changes, look at the materials together. This allowed me to introduce the loose parts in that center and talk about “their home”. I brought in A LOT of nature items. One of the favorites over the years was a decaying log, covered in moss and small plants. I would put out tweezers, clear containers with lids, trays, etc. At first children were a bit uncertain what to do with the big log in the classroom, but as time went by they started to explore the moss and plants growing on the outside and then slowly started breaking apart the wood to discover a whole host of creatures inside the log. The conversation, discover, and wonder was endless.